SIX REASONS TO TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE

1. BURN MORE CALORIES DURING AND AFTER YOUR WORKOUT

Research from the Journal of Strength & Conditioning shows that super sets (two exercises in a row that affect opposing muscles, such as biceps and triceps) and multiple sets both increase energy expenditure during and after the exercise period. This increase in workout intensity means you increase the calories you burn during your workout as well as the calories you burn once your workout is over (also known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which boosts your metabolic rate due to a hormonal response).

2. CURB YOUR CRAVINGS

A recent study from the Technical University of Munich found that people who worked out at low intensity levels felt hungrier after exercising than those who engaged in more demanding workout programs. Researchers say HITT decreases the secretion of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates your appetite. Put another way: The harder you work out, the less you will eat.

3. INCREASE YOUR STRENGTH

Training like an athlete means gaining strength, but you have to challenge youself. When lifting weights, make sure that the last rep is hard to perform; if it isn't, increase the weight you are lifting. A study from Georgia Southern University found that heavy resistance training (two sets of eight reps) burned more calories than lifting two sets of 15 reps of a lighter load. Females don’t worry about bulking up female testosterone levels are one-tenth of the male levels, which makes it very hard to add muscle mass to our frames.

4. DEVELOP POWER AND AGILITY

HITT will add more spring to your step and help you in everyday functional movements. Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning says that power and agility-oriented moves, such as depth jumps, jump squats and back squats, show more potential for increasing bone mass density than traditional athletic activities like walking or jogging.

5. EAT LIKE AN ATHLETE

Repeat after me: You’re not dieting; you’re learning to fuel your body. If your relationship with food is often rocky, working out like an athlete will have you eating like one. Athletes do not consider the way they eat as a diet per se. They simply learn that some foods are far more effective than others as fuel for their bodies and eat healthily without going on deprivation diets (a common mistake associated with fad weight-loss strategies). With practice, adequate nutrition becomes second nature, and you’ll never again feel like you’re making a sacrifice with every meal.

6. SLEEP BETTER

A Taiwanese study that analyzed sleep quality among female student-athletes found that the group that was subjected to regular high-intensity training sessions reported better scores in sleep quality tests than the students who engaged in normal exercise programs.

My background and experience as an exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, and certified trainer has allowed me to witness how effective this approach can be, to the point that I ended up creating my own training method (MM21) based on sports-oriented fitness techniques.

Sports training applies to every exercise program, regardless of your fitness level or how long you’ve been training. If I’ve learned something from my own training, it’s that you don’t have to be an athlete to train like one, or to enjoy the rewards of a great workout. I’ll see you at the gym!

Top 10 cardio exercises that burn the most calories in 30 minutes.

1. Step Aerobics - One of the most favorite cardio exercises preferred by women. Step Aerobics mainly target your legs, hips and glutes, and can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes. 

2. Bicycling - Stationary or outdoors is a great cardio exercises, depending on resistance and speed can but 250 to 500 calories in 30 minutes. 

3. Swimming - Like cross-country skiing is an excellent cardio exercises as it is a full body exercises. Swimming is a great cross-training for other cardio activities. Doing the breast stroke can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes. 

4. Racquetball - Side to side sprinting makes racquetball and excellent cardio exercises. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calories in 30 minutes. 

5. Rock Climbing - Is not only a cardio exercises, but also uses arm and leg strength and power. Rock Climbing can burn up to 380 calories in 30 minutes. 

6. Cross-Country Skiing - Whether on a machine or outdoors on snow, is an incredible cardio exercises as it involves both upper and lower body. A 145 lb person can burn approx 330 calories in 30 minutes. 

7. Running - Running is an excellent cardio exercises because all you need is a pair of quality running shoes. Running burns serious calories. A 145 LB person can easily burn 300 calories in 30 minutes. 

8. Elliptical Trainer - Is an excellent cardio exercises and a great way to build endurance. A 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes. 

9. Rowing - Is both a cardio exercises as well as giving your arms an incredible workout. 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes. 

10. Walking - Brisk walking is a less strenuous form of cardio exercises. Walking can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. Sprinting, adding hills or an incline can increase amount of calories burned.

Run for your health

Running is very good for your health. It provides a great cardiovascular workout, strengthens and tones your muscles. Regular jogging gives better overall physical condition as well as some other health benefits, including mental benefits such as relaxation and reduction of anxiety. Most importantly for many, running is a good way to lose belly fat and generally get fitter.

Regular Running and Jogging

Regular running and jogging is a good way to improve your health and fitness. You do not need to become a marathon runner to benefit greatly from running. Many people are concerned about long term damage to joints such as knees, ankles and hips, as a result of running. However, with good quality running shoes and a sensible approach, the risks are minimal, and the benefits of being fitter outweigh those possible risks.
Jogging makes the heart stronger. It increases the capacity of the blood circulation and of the respiratory system. This is essential for maintaining good fitness. It also speeds up the digestive system and can help to relieve digestive problems. Many people that live a sedentary lifestyle develop digestive problems that can be improved with a healthier diet and some regular exercise.

Running and Mental Health

Running can counteract depression, as all forms of exercise can help people cope with depression. It increases the capacity to work and lead an active life. The fitter you are, the more active you can be. There are so many more opportunities available to people that are healthier and fitter.
There are several beneficial effects of adding running to your weight loss program:

Does jogging help you to lose weight?

Jogging makes you burn fat and thereby helps to lose weight. In addition to increasing metabolism, jogging is an effective way to burn more calories, which helps you lose weight. If calories consumed in food are less than calories spent during exercise and other daily activities, you will lose weight. It is impossible not to! Many people have learned how to lose belly fat by starting a running program.

Jogging helps to reduce stubborn belly fat. Stubborn fat can be very hard to shift, but a running program can really help to cut down on the last of your stubborn fat.
If you suffer from poor appetite, jogging will improve your appetite. Along with all other forms of exercise – the harder you work, the more you need to eat to repair your muscles and refuel them. When you start to run longer distances you will start to eat to fuel your body, and may even find that you need to eat more food everyday, than you did when you were overweight.
Jogging will strengthen the muscles and bone density of your legs, hips and back. Long distance runners have very strong legs, even though they often look very thin and weak. Running does not produce bulky muscles, like weight training or even circuit training does, but it does increase leg strength. Also, the constant impact caused during running can increase bone density, so long as you follow a healthy diet.



Jogging makes you sleep better. Also, if you exercise well, sleep comes much easier. One of the most important factors for improving fitness after exercise and diet is getting adequate sleep. Overtraining can occur if you do not rest properly.

Learning to Enjoy Running

Running can give you both physical and mental joy, so long you do not exhaust yourself! When jogging is done correctly, you will actually feel less tired after you have finished a tour than before you began. You may even start to enjoy the feelings in your muscles during the jogging and afterwards.
Running is a great way of getting away from your usual daily environment. Running outside is often much more pleasurable than exercising in a gym. Even running in the rain can be refreshing and pleasurable. While running some people also get an euphoric mental feeling – a runners high!

Jogging Routes and Sessions

Jogging may be performed in a lot of ways. Long distance jogging generally covers 6-20km, at a moderate speed on even roads or paths. Short distance jogging covers 3-6km in a faster pace. Jogging upwards in a steep terrain 3-4km, in a speed adjusted to the steepness. Jogging in a hilly terrain with paths going both up and down 4-8 km. It is advisable to vary the type of jogging from day to day, and to find several different routes to run. By running different routes you create more variety, which helps to keep you motivated. Also, by having a set of routes of varying distance, you can develop a weekly running schedule, which includes both short fast runs and longer slower runs.

Planning a Running Session

You should start out at a slower pace for a few minutes if you have not warmed up already. Then you gradually increase to a comfortable speed. Once you become familiar with a few different routes, you will quickly learn the best pace for you, and also will know when to push yourself a little harder. Timing each run is a great way to monitor improvements. Some days you may feel that you have not run so well, but the time on the clock may show that you have actually matched your personal best.

A Few Health Benefits of Eating Eggs

A Few Health Benefits of Eating Eggs

Eggs are a good source of low-cost high-quality protein, providing 5.5 grams of protein (11.1% of the daily value for protein) in one egg for a caloric cost of only 68 calories. The structure of humans and animals is built on protein. We rely on animal and vegetable protein for our supply of amino acids, and then our bodies rearrange the nitrogen to create the pattern of amino acids we require.

Boost Brain Health with Eggs' Choline

Another health benefit of eggs is their contribution to the diet as a source of choline. Although our bodies can produce some choline, we cannot make enough to make up for an inadequate supply in our diets, and choline deficiency can also cause deficiency of another B vitamin critically important for health, folic acid.

Choline is definitely a nutrient needed in good supply for good health. Choline is a key component of many fat-containing structures in cell membranes, whose flexibility and integrity depend on adequate supplies of choline. Two fat-like molecules in the brain, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, account for an unusually high percentage of the brain's total mass, so choline is particularly important for brain function and health.

In addition, choline is a highly important molecule in a cellular process called methylation. Many important chemical events in the body are made possible by methylation, in which methyl groups are transferred from one place to another. For example, genes in the body can be switched on or turned off in this way, and cells use methylation to send messages back and forth. Choline, which contains three methyl groups, is highly active in this process.

Choline is also a key component of acetylcholine. A neurotrasmitter that carries messages from and to nerves, acetylcholine is the body's primary chemical means of sending messages between nerves and muscles.\

An Egg Breakfast Helps Promote Weight Loss

In a randomized controlled trial, 160 overweight or obese men and women were divided into 2 groups, one of which ate a breakfast including 2 eggs, while the other consumed a bagel breakfast supplying the same amount of calories and weight mass (an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies). Participants ate their assigned breakfast at least 5 days a week for 8 weeks as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie deficit. (Dhurandhar N, Vander Wal J, et al, FASEB Journal)
Compared to those on the bagel breakfast, egg eaters:

• Lost almost twice as much weight -- egg eaters lost an average of 6.0 pounds compared to bagel eaters' 3.5 pound loss.
• Had an 83% greater decrease in waist circumference
• Reported greater improvements in energy

No significant differences were seen between blood levels of total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in either group, confirming what other studies (Ballesteros MN, Cabrera RM, Am J Clin Nutr) have shown, including a relative risk study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting: healthy people can safely enjoy eggs without increasing their heart attack risk. The relative risk study, a thorough scientific review of the major studies concerning heart disease causation, which was conducted by Washington, DC-based scientific consulting firm, Exponent, found that eggs contribute just 0.6 percent of men's and 0.4 percent of women's coronary heart disease risk.

Eggs and Heart Health

In addition to its significant effects on brain function and the nervous system, choline also has an impact on cardiovascular health since it is one of the B vitamins that helps converthomocysteine, a molecule that can damage blood vessels, into other benign substances. Eggs are also a good source of vitamin B12, another B vitamin that is of major importance in the process of converting homocysteine into safe molecules.

Eggs are high in cholesterol, and health experts in the past counseled people to therefore avoid this food. (All of the cholesterol in the egg is in the yolk.) However, nutrition experts have now determined people on a low-fat diet can eat one or two eggs a day without measurable changes in their blood cholesterol levels. This information is supported by a statistical analysis of 224 dietary studies carried out over the past 25 years that investigated the relationship between diet and blood cholesterol levels in over 8,000 subjects. What investigators in this study found was that saturated fat in the diet, not dietary cholesterol, is what influences blood cholesterol levels the most.

Helping to Prevent Blood Clots

Eating eggs may help lower risk of a heart attack or stroke by helping to prevent blood clots. A study published in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin demonstrated that proteins in egg yolk are not only potent inhibitors of human platelet aggregation, but also prolong the time it takes for fibrinogen, a protein present in blood, to be converted into fibrin. Fibrin serves as the scaffolding upon which clumps of platelets along with red and white blood cells are deposited to form a blood clot. These anti-clotting egg yolk proteins inhibit clot formation in a dose-dependent manner—the more egg yolks eaten, the more clot preventing action.(That being said, it's still important to only eat the amount of eggs that fits within your own personal Healthiest Way of Eating.)

The Amazing Herb Black Seed

The Black Seed (botanical name “Nigella Sativa”), known as Black Cumin, Black Caraway Seed, and the Blessed Seed is a popular natural cure in Asia, Middle East and Africa. This seed has found traditional use in the cure for a wide range of ailments and conditions for the fast 14000 years, and tradition in these places consider the Black Seed as a "healing for all diseases except death."


The Black Seed herb and oil has been traditionally used to treat diseases related to the respiratory system, circulatory and immune system, stomach and intestines, parasitic infections, kidney, livers, asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, common cold, and also skin conditions such as allergies, eczema and boils. Consumption of the Black Seed also contributes to other general health benefits such as increasing body tone, stimulating the menstrual period, increasing milk production in nursing mothers, increasing the flow of breast milk. Black Seed Oil calms the nervous system, quells colic pain, stimulates excretion of urine, helps pertussis, and improves digestion.


The black seed helps against all types of cold ailments and helps introduce the effective ingredients of cold medications to the areas affected by hot and dry ailments, as it helps the body absorb the medicine quickly when taken in small dosages.

Black seed is hot and dry in the third degree, eliminates, flatulence, extracts the helminthes (worm), relieves leprosy and phlegm fevers, opens clogs, decomposes accumulating gas and excess moisture in the stomach.

When it is ground, blended with honey and drunk with some warm water, it will dissolve the stones that appear in the kidney and the prostate and it is also diuretic.

It increases the flow during menstruation and the production of milk

When it is heated with vinegar and placed on the stomach, it will eliminate helminthes (worms) and when it is blended with wet or cooked colocynth water, it is more effective in removing worms.

It also cleans up, decomposes and relieves cold symptoms when it is ground in a rag and inhaled through the nose on a regular basis until the ailment is cured.

Black seeds oil helps against snakebites, hemorrhoids and spots. When around 25grams of it is drunk with water it will help against gasping and hard breathing.

When the black seeds are cooked in vinegar and then one rinses his mouth with it, it will relieve toothache resulting from sensitivity to cold. When one inhales powered black seed, it will help against water that accumulates in the eye. When it is used in a bandage while blended with vinegar, it heals spots and exposed skin ulcers and decomposes the acute mucus tumors and also hard tumors.

The oil of black seed also helps against facial paralysis when administered by the nose. When one drinks about 25grams of its oil, it helps against spider bite. When it is ground finely and blended with the oil of the green seed and used as ear drops, only up to three drops, it helps against symptoms, flatulence and various clogs.

When the Black Seed is fried and finely ground, soaked in oil and then drops are administered in the nose, it will help against cold conditions accompanied by intensive sneezing.

When it is burned and mixed with melted wax along with henna or iris oil, it helps remove the ulcers that appear on the skin of the legs, after washing the skin with vinegar.

When the black seeds are crushed in vinegar and laid on leprous skin, the skin affected by black pigmentation and on the head that is affected by dandruff, it helps relieve these aliments.

When the Black Seeds are ground finely and one swallows around 25grams of it each day with cold water, it instantly helps against the bit of rabid dogs, and might prevent death as a result of hydrophobia. 

The health benefits of Black Seed are not limited to curative purpose alone. Regular consumption of a teaspoon of Black Seed Oil mixed with honey after each meal contributes to better health and strong immunity to diseases.

Mental Benefits of Exercise

Few can deny the physical upside of working out regularly, but there are also several important mental benefits of exercise. This article examines some of the more obvious as well as perhaps lesser known reasons for hitting the jogging trail or gym a couple times a week.By MKDanielsson

Five Mental Benefits of Exercise

These mental benefits of exercise intersect to some degree, and there are more fringe benefits not listed, but here are five big ones:

Stress Relief

Insufferable coworkers, a pompous boss, and escapees from Bob's Driving School for the Blind on your way home is enough to get you in a state where you'd rather just punch someone. Give all this negative energy a positive outlet by pushing iron for a while. Afterwards, you can interact with family and friends like a human being again, which is just as important as the physical health benefits in the big picture.

Depression Prevention

These days, clinically depressed patients are almost always prescribed plenty of exercise. Sure, "happy pills" can take the edge off a bad depression, but it also comes with side effects -- the exact opposite of the impact of exercise-based treatment. You don't have to be truly depressed to reap these benefits, though. In fact, if you're merely feeling a bit blue and can't seem to snap out of your funk, odds are a brisk walk through the forest or a few hard sets of tennis will hit the reset button quite nicely.

Confidence Boost

Being active inevitably builds certain confidence in your physical abilities. If you get stronger in the gym, or shave a couple minutes off your jog, you have hard proof that you're capable of meeting and surpassing real goals. If you are able to pull this off in the gym, you can probably do it elsewhere, too. Likewise, you will experience temporary setbacks and disappointments, and learn to overcome them the next time around. This is another area that translates well from the field of exercise to social life or the professional world.

Improved Sleep

Insomnia and poor sleep are often related to residual stress that didn't get the needed outlet. You can't fix an overdue credit card or revive missed opportunities at work by obsessing about them at 2 AM, yet that is often what people end up doing. Not only does exercise provide a direct outlet for that pent-up stress as outlined earlier, but you also get the immediate, tangible effect of physical tiredness. If you spent the day in an office chair and the evening on the couch, your body never enjoyed real movement. Swim a few dozen laps after work, and at least you will be physically tired when hitting the sack.

Better Energy

Continuing on the previous point, it may seem like a paradox, but you actually get more energized the more energy you use. Not short-term, of course, but over the span of months and years. It's kind of like the old chestnut of having to spend money to make money -- but it's true, as your body is remarkably adaptive and soon adjusts to a certain activity level once you've made it a habit. This energy is as much mental as physical, making it a win-win scenario all around.

There are more mental benefits of exercise to boot, although they overlap what has already been mentioned here. For example, those who exercise regularly tend to be more fit and better looking -- a distinct social advantage that quickly builds self-esteem beyond what is already covered in the Confidence Boost point above. You can also discuss the social aspect of playing sports or going to exercise classes with friends, but the bottom line is clear enough: practically everyone stands to gain from regular exercise, both physically and mentally. Good luck!

Mental Benefits of Exercise

Few can deny the physical upside of working out regularly, but there are also several important mental benefits of exercise. This article examines some of the more obvious as well as perhaps lesser known reasons for hitting the track or gym a couple times a week. 

Five Mental Benefits of Exercise

These mental benefits of exercise intersect to some degree, and there are more fringe benefits not listed, but here are five big ones:

Stress Relief

Insufferable coworkers, a pompous boss, and riding the bus with school kids is enough to get you in a state where you'd rather just punch someone. Give all this negative energy a positive outlet by pumping iron for a while. Afterwards, you can interact with family and friends like a human being again, which is just as important as the physical health benefits in the big picture.

Depression Prevention

These days, clinically depressed patients are almost always prescribed plenty of exercise. Sure, "happy pills" can take the edge off a bad depression, but it also comes with side effects -- the exact opposite of the impact of exercise-based treatment. You don't have to be truly depressed to reap these benefits, though. In fact, if you're merely feeling a bit blue and can't seem to snap out of your funk, odds are a brisk walk or run, or a few hard sets of tennis will hit the reset button quite nicely.

Confidence Boost

Being active inevitably builds certain confidence in your physical abilities. If you get stronger in the gym, or shave a couple minutes off your jog, you have hard proof that you're capable of meeting and surpassing real goals. If you are able to pull this off in the gym, you can probably do it elsewhere, too. Likewise, you will experience temporary setbacks and disappointments, and learn to overcome them the next time around. This is another area that translates well from the field of exercise to social life or the professional world.

Improved Sleep

Insomnia and poor sleep are often related to residual stress that didn't get the needed outlet. You can't fix an overdue credit card or revive missed opportunities at work by obsessing about them at 2 AM, yet that is often what people end up doing. Not only does exercise provide a direct outlet for that pent-up stress as outlined earlier, but you also get the immediate, tangible effect of physical tiredness. If you spent the day in an office chair and the evening on the couch, your body never enjoyed real movement. Swim a few dozen laps after work, and at least you will be physically tired when hitting the sack.

Better Energy

Continuing on the previous point, it may seem like a paradox, but you actually get more energized the more energy you use. Not short-term, of course, but over the span of months and years. It's kind of like the old chestnut of having to spend money to make money -- but it's true, as your body is remarkably adaptive and soon adjusts to a certain activity level once you've made it a habit. This energy is as much mental as physical, making it a win-win scenario all around.

Other Benefits There are more mental benefits of exercise to boot, although they overlap what has already been mentioned here. For example, those who exercise regularly tend to be more fit and better looking -- a distinct social advantage that quickly builds self-esteem beyond what is already covered in the Confidence Boost point above. You can also discuss the social aspect of playing sports or going to exercise classes with friends, but the bottom line is clear enough: practically everyone stands to gain from regular exercise, both physically and mentally. Good luck!

Ten GOOD reasons why women should lift weights

We know that increasing and maintaining adequate muscle mass is one of the best ways to keep body fat at bay and to improve overall fitness, particularly as we age. We also know that weight lifting is the best way to build muscle mass. Still, the number of women who actually participate in any formal or consistent weight training workout is still extremely low. Most women who exercise are spending most of their gym time on cardiovascular exercise. Whatever your reasons for avoiding the weights, if you are a woman, here are ten reasons why you need to take strength training seriously.

1. You Will Be Physically Stronger.
   Increasing your strength will make you far less dependent upon others for assistance in daily living. Chores will be easier, lifting kids, groceries and laundry will no longer push you to the max. If your maximum strength is increased, daily tasks and routine exercise will be far less likely to cause injury. Research studies conclude that even moderate weight training can increase a woman's strength by 30 to 50 percent. Research also shows that women can develop their strength at the same rate as men.
2. You Will Lose Body Fat.
   Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat. As your lean muscle increases so does your resting metabolism, and you burn more calories all day long. Generally speaking, for each pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35 to 50 more calories each day. That can really add up.
3. You Will Gain Strength Without Bulk.
   Researchers also found that unlike men, women typically don't gain size from strength training, because compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition. This is a bonus.
4. You Decrease Your Risk Of Osteoporosis
   Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density (and enhance bone modeling) by 13 percent in six months. This, coupled with an adequate amount of dietary calcium, can be a women's best defense against osteoporosis. 
5. You Will Improve Your Athletic Performance.
   Over and over research concludes that strength training improves athletic ability in all but the very elite athletes. Golfers can significantly increase their driving power. Cyclists are able to continue for longer periods of time with less fatigue. Skiers improve technique and reduce injury. Whatever sport you play, strength training has been shown to improve overall performance as well as decrease the risk of injury.
6. You Will Reduce Your Risk Of Injury, Back Pain and Arthritis.
   Strength training not only builds stronger muscles, but also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability. This acts as reinforcement for the joints and helps prevent injury. A recent 12-year study showed that strengthening the low-back muscles had an 80 percent success rate in eliminating or alleviating low-back pain. Other studies have indicated that weight training can ease the pain of osteoarthritis and strengthen joints.
7. You Will Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease.
   According to Dr. Barry A. Franklin, of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, weight training can improve cardiovascular health in several ways, including lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. When cardiovascular exercise is added, these benefits are maximized.
8. You Will Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes.
   In addition, Dr. Franklin noted that weight training may improve the way the body processes sugar, which may reduce the risk of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in four months.
9. It Is Never Too Late To Benefit.
   Women in their 70s and 80s have built up significant strength through weight training and studies show that strength improvements are possible at any age. Note, however, that a strength training professional should always supervise older participants.
10. You Will Improve Your Attitude And Fight Depression.
    A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling did. Women who strength train commonly report feeling more confident and capable as a result of their program, all important factors in fighting depression.

EAT BEANS AND MORE BEANS

Beans, peas and peanuts belong to the plant family Leguminosae. Legumes are edible seeds enclosed in pods. Beans are an inexpensive and delicious food that you will want to eat regularly because of their numerous health and longevity benefits. Beans are inexpensive, nutritious and are linked to lower rates of disease. When dried, they have a long shelf life and are very versatile.

Here are some of the advantages of a bean-rich diet:
Beans have more protein than most other vegetables, and full of energy-sustaining complex carbohydrates, folate and fiber and even provide good amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium.

Because they have a low glycemic index, beans have the unique ability to provide energy over a sustained period of time by being slowly released into your blood stream. Also, beans are a great source of dietary fiber, which promotes a healthy digestive tract, helps lower blood cholesterol levels, and can reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

Beans are an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and complex carbohydrates. They’re very low in fat and virtually sodium-free. Plus, they’re filling and satify the appetite.

People in the United States eat a diet that is very high in fat, often amounting to 40 to 50 percent of their total daily calories. High-fat animal-derived foods have been linked with cancer.

Your body does need fat, so choose to eat the foods that have the good kind of fat. Beans and legumes are an unusually good choice, because in addition to providing the good fat, they are also chock full of protein and dietary fiber. They are also loaded with complex carbohydrates, the nutrients that are responsible for providing energy to the muscles and brain.

And fiber? Even the lowest-fiber bean puts most other foods to shame. A cup of high-fiber beans, like pinto or black beans, tallies up 16 grams of fiber. You’d have to eat about eight slices of whole wheat bread to get the same amount of fiber. And it’s primarily cholesterol-reducing soluble fiber, which makes beans an excellent heart-healthy alternative to meat.

You don’t have to settle for the same old pintos or garbanzos, either. Nowadays there’s a tremendous variety of beans in both markets and restaurants, like cranberry beans, black-eyed peas, pink beans, white beans, and fava beans.

The following is a list of commonly used legumes:

split mung dahl
whole mung bean
chick peas or garbanzo beans
split chick peas (channa dal)
black bean, whole or split
black eyed peas
brown lentils, whole or split
toor dahl
pinto beans
navy beans
lima beans
kidney beans
soy beans

The problems of obesity and being overweight

People trying to lose excess fat typically have days when willpower, discipline, and commitment waver.  On those days, it can help to remember why they started this adventure in the first place.  The reasons for many involve improved health and longevity.  Even if you have just 20 pounds of excess fat to lose, it will often take twenty weeks.  Your weight-loss goal is one to one-and-a-half pounds a week.  This race is won not by the swift, but by the slow and steady.

The following is a laundry list of obesity-related conditions to remind you why you want to avoid overweight and obesity:

• Premature death.  It starts at BMI, ( Body Mass Index ), of 30, with a major increase in premature death at BMI over 40.  The U.S. has 200,000 yearly deaths directly attributable to obesity.
• Arthritis, especially of the knees.
• Type 2 diabetes melllitus.  Eight-five percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
• Increased cardiovascular disease risk, especially with an apple-shaped fat distribution as compared to pear-shaped.  Cardiovascular disease includes heart attacks, high blood pressure, strokes, and peripheral arterial disease (poor circulation).
• Obstructive sleep apnea.
• Gallstones are three or four times more common in the obese.
• High blood pressure.  At least one third of cases are caused by excess body fat.  Every 20 pounds of excess fat raises blood pressure 2-3 points (mmHg).
• Tendency to higher total and LDL cholesterol, higher triglycerides, while lowering HDL cholesterol.  These lipid changes are associated with hardening of the arteries - atherosclerosis - which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral arterial disease.
• Increased cancers.  Prostate and colorectal in men.  Endometrial, gallbladder, cervix, ovary, and breast in women.  Kidney and esophageal adenocarcinoma in both sexes.  Excess fat contributes to 14-20% of all cancer -related deaths in the U.S.  Over 550,000 people die from cancer in the U.S. yearly.  Twenty percent of us will die from cancer.
• Strokes.
• Low back pain.
• Gout.
• Varicose veins.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Blood clots in legs and lungs.
• Surgery complications: poor wound healing, blood clots, wound infection, breathing problems.
• Pregnancy complications: toxemia, high blood pressure, diabetes, prolonged labor, greater need for C-section.
• Fat build-up in liver.
• Asthma.
• Low sperm counts.
• Decreased fertility.
• Delayed or missed diagnosis due to difficult physical examination or weight exceeding the limit of diagnostic equipment.

My goal with this list is to motivate rather than depress you.  For those already overweight or obese, weight loss can significantly improve, alleviate, or prevent these conditions.  Many obesity-related medical conditions and metabolic abnormalities are improved with loss of just five or 10% of total body weight.  For instance, a 240 pound man with mild diabetes and high blood pressure may be able to reduce or avoid drug therapy by losing just 12 to 24 pounds.  He’s still obese, but healthier. Your health is a serious matter. Stop acting like it's OK to be unhealthy, it's not. Start doing something about making improvements with your health. If not don't complain when you start suffering from the above symptoms. 

Eating healthy the inexpensive way

Eating healthy is not expensive. You can fill your shopping cart with some of the healthiest foods in the supermarket for far less money than you might think. Whether you are on a tight budget or are simply looking for ways to eat better without paying top dollar, there are options down every aisle.

Canned Fish

Canned fish, such as water-packed tuna and salmon, delivers maximum nutrition but costs far less than fresh fish. Canned fish is a source of lean protein, is high in vitamins and minerals and contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are a type of essential unsaturated fat that may lower LDL or "bad"  cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of stroke.

Beans
Consumer Reports recommends choosing beans, either canned or dried, if your food budget is tight. Beans are inexpensive, versatile, and a great source of protein, carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Add them to soups, pasta dishes, salads and chili to increase bulk. While canned beans are the easiest and most convenient to use, dried beans are the most economical.

Rolled Oats

Oats are a nutrient-rich whole grain. For the best value, buy the large, cylindrical container of old-fashioned rolled oats. Oatmeal is a hearty, carbohydrate-, protein- and fiber-rich hot breakfast. Use oats as an ingredient in meatloaf, cookies, pancakes and muffins. Oats, on their own, contain no artificial ingredients or sugars, just 100 percent whole-grain rolled oats.

Sweet Potatoes

Save money by purchasing sweet potatoes by the bag. With the right add-ons,  sweet potatoes can make a satisfying entree. They serve as a base for healthful, creative toppings such as unflavored yogurt, cottage cheese, black beans, salsa and low-fat cheese. Sweet potatoes are a bit more expensive but offer even more nutrients. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.

Powdered or Evaporated Milk

Powdered milk stretches further than fluid, and evaporated, canned milk is less costly than fresh milk. These are economical, nutrient-rich substitutes for fluid milk, especially for recipes. Use it in soups, casseroles, and mashed sweet potatoes. Doing so enables you to save your fresh milk for drinking or adding to your coffee or cereal.

Eggs

Eggs are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein. They are versatile and make for a quick meal any time of the day. Eggs can be prepared in a variety of ways. The protein and fat in eggs helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, so you are less likely to overdo it at the next meal. Use them to make a healthy meatless dinner, such as an elegant omelet.

Apples

Much like potatoes, purchasing apples by the bag goes a long way, and is more economical than buying larger apples by the pound. Apples are know to be nutritious. One medium-sized fruit meets roughly 15 percent of your recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. Apples are also rich in vitamin C.

Frozen Vegetables

According to the Cleveland Clinic, as long as you avoid the fancy blends and shop generic or off-brand, frozen vegetables are a budget-friendly health food. Vegetables are frozen at the peak of freshness and retain their nutrients well. Select from colorful vitamin-rich choices, such as carrots, broccoli and green beans.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is high in protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats. A little of this kid-friendly budget food goes a long way. A mere 2 tbsp. serving meets over 10 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for many nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B-3, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.

Brown Rice

This nutritious whole-grain food is a budget buy, as long as you avoid fancy boxed mixes and instant varieties. Just buy plain, long-grain bagged or boxed brown rice. In addition to energizing carbohydrates, cooked brown rice is packed with nutrients, such as niacin and vitamin B-6, magnesium, copper, manganese, selenium and dietary fiber.